Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Curls out of Shotgun Flex Y Off Wk sends three receivers to the boundary side into curl routes at staggered depths while the backside X runs a deep vertical up the sideline to hold the corner and safety. The lone in-line receiver stacked outside runs an out and up wheel to stretch the flat to deep third, giving the quarterback a five-man route concept built off levels. This is a zone beater at its core, using stacked curl depths to sit in the soft spots between the underneath and deep zone defenders, with the vertical and wheel routes serving as pressure release valves against man coverage.
Defensive Reads
Diagnose the coverage shell immediately: two high safeties with off corners signals soft zone, which is exactly what this concept is built to punish with the layered curl depths. Watch the flat defender and outside linebacker leverage on the trips side. If they widen with the wheel route, the underneath curl windows open up for an easy completion. Key the middle linebacker or nickel defender assigned to the shallow curl. If he sinks too deep in coverage, that shallow window becomes the first read and the fastest throw. Against man coverage, look for a user-controlled defender jumping the vertical route on the backside. If he bites early, the wheel route on the trips side becomes a big play threat down the sideline. Cover 3 with a hard flat defender can take away the shallow curl and wheel combo, so be ready to climb the progression to the deeper curl routes if that shell shows post-snap.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing two deep safeties or a single high shell, since Curls thrives against zone coverage that leaves natural windows underneath the deep defenders.
Read the middle linebacker depth before the snap. If he is sitting shallow, hot route the inside curl into a dig or drag to clear his zone and create a bigger throwing lane.
Work your progression from the shallow curl to the intermediate curl to the deep curl, letting the defense declare zone drops before committing to a throw.
If the corner presses the backside X, expect a lot of separation on the vertical route since the play design already stresses the deep third, so do not be afraid to take that shot early in the down.
Pair this play with Double Slants or RPO Peek Slant on early downs to set up the defense expecting quick game, then hit Curls on second or third down when linebackers start sitting on short routes.
